9 big ideas for changing a broken food system
August 17, 2015
"At Nutiva, our brand promise is to 'revolutionize the way the world eats.' It begins with education, and I have pioneered social media campaigns with GMO Inside, the NGO I founded. Victories include large brands removing GMOs, including GM's Cheerios and Hershey’s chocolates, and WFM dropping Chobani from their shelves."
"I wouldn’t say the system is broken; I would say it’s evolving. Our society was focusing on other things in life and trusting the big players to take care of feeding us during the decades following World War II. Beginning with the birth of the 'health food' industry, we started to connect the dots between what we ate and the condition of our health. As a natural progression, we became more interested in where our food is coming from, how it is grown and what is done to it once it leaves the farm. What we found was eye-opening in many cases, and more of us became proactive. Our view is one of continual evolution and, for that, we go straight to the soil. The source of nutrients for plants and animals, and ultimately the humans who consume the food, literally has its roots in the soil. If we want to become healthier by what we eat, then we need to have healthier soil. Over the last eight years, Natural Vitality has supported both Remineralize the Earth and the Bionutrient Food Association. Both of these non-profits are involved in natural soil remineralization. For RTE, this involves the broader application of remineralization, and for BFA this involves the hands-on training of thousands of growers nationwide in techniques of growing high-nutrient produce. Our vision is an agricultural quality standard that measures, in the same way we test our supplements, nutrient content of what is grown. This will be our best assurance of true health food in the future."
"In my current role at Whole Foods Market, I have had the opportunity to support some major food trends, such as organic food production, GMO transparency, plant-based nutrition, humanely/pasture raised animal products and a big shift towards fair trade and ethical sourcing. We have launched thousands of products that are now household names, and have enabled non-GMO verified, Halal and biodynamic foods to be part of the conversation. As a retailer, our success is based on how customers respond to and influence these trends, and we have been very lucky that they want to eat better, and want to know where their food came from. We have a broad base of suppliers who are engaging that market and making a living by providing healthier and more sustainably produced food. We are living in a renaissance period of food production, and there is a generational shift happening that will change how food is produced, distributed and consumed. Get involved!"
"I don’t feel the food system is broken; I feel it is very confused and disillusioned. There is a battle between the forces of good and evil taking place. There are many people and companies around the world that maintain strong connections to promoting pure food through traditional farming methods and understand that good, pure food equates to good health = the working system. We are a part of this working system. Then there are those other individuals and companies that are the confused and disillusioned ones. Unfortunately it seems that the confused ones are the majority and are able to manipulate farmers and the public through their evil fiddling. But our trumpets are starting to ring louder and louder. In order to make the world a better place, we all need to lead by example. For Big Tree Farms, this means working directly with farmers, promoting sustainable and organic farming methods and ultimately marketing these ingredients to the progressive markets so that the farmers realize that there is demand for organic food. We have to create and nurture that end market. The more scalable an ingredient/food is, the more impact we can have on the ground. This is why since 2008, Big Tree Farms has been focusing on coconut products, as the benefit they bring to tropical environments are significant and the number of impoverished farmers that depend on this crop for their livelihood is astounding."
"Since Plum Organics was founded in 2007, we’ve been on a mission to get all kids the best food from the very first bite. To help us deliver on our mission, accessibility to organic food is key. We’re trying to address the accessibility issue a few different ways. One example is through The Full Effect program, which we created in 2013 as a means to provide nutritious organic food to little ones in need across America. Since inception, we’ve donated 8.9 million meals and snacks. While this obviously won’t solve the larger issue at hand, we’re encouraged that we’re making an impact to those children that need nourishment the most. In addition, I strongly believe that being a part of the Campbell Soup Company is enabling us to broaden our reach to more households across America. By leveraging Campbell’s customer logistics network, we’re reaching more consumers than ever before by way of their retailer footprint."
"At Love Grown Foods we are passionate about not just putting healthier foods on the shelves, but also building strong, nutritional foundations for moms, families and communities. We visit schools educating students (from kindergarten to high school) about the importance of eating breakfast, what whole grains are and why you should be able to pronounce every ingredient in your food. We are on a mission to make health less of a privilege and more of a right, and feel that in order to do this it starts with access, affordability and education. We believe that as a for-profit business we not only have the opportunity, but also the obligation, to positively impact our community, and it starts with empowering consumers."
"I am particularly interested in accessibility to nutritious food for all consumers. In my newest role as CEO of ProYo, we are looking at innovative ways to reduce the cost of our product and find more venues to expose consumers to non-GMO products. For example, our product is a perfect supplement to the diet of a senior, and we are pursuing Medicare reimbursement. If we can make ProYo available in the hospital and senior care environments, we will dramatically increase accessibility of better-for-you food to an underserved consumer group."
"At Back to the Roots, we're on a mission to make food personal again and connect families back to where it comes from. We believe in the 'undoing' of food back to its simplest ingredients and least processed versions through our 'ready-to-grow' and 'ready-to-eat' product lines. How do we create and promote food that is made in a kitchen, not a lab? Our R&D team isn't biochemists and food scientists; it's our grandparents. We want to create food they would recognize and bring it to a new generation through fun, playful and thoughtful product design. We think the best way to fix a broken food system is not trying to 'invent' our way out of it, but rather by focusing on radical transparency and 'undoing.' Let's help families grow their own food at home, and connect more deeply with what we all put into our bodies each day.
"I am changing culture. I am growing people so that they can grow food. I am teaching people that growing your own food is a survival skill, not something frivolous. When you grow your own food you are releasing the shackles that are on your life. You are showing people how to be self-sustaining. But it's all about changing culture first and foremost. Everything starts with a seed. And that's how I'm changing it. Seed by seed. This is about giving people the tools and the knowledge to design their own lives. "
"I am changing culture. I am growing people so that they can grow food. I am teaching people that growing your own food is a survival skill, not something frivolous. When you grow your own food you are releasing the shackles that are on your life. You are showing people how to be self-sustaining. But it's all about changing culture first and foremost. Everything starts with a seed. And that's how I'm changing it. Seed by seed. This is about giving people the tools and the knowledge to design their own lives. "
Consumers are waking up, and not just to what's in their food, but also to where and how it was made. Transparency, big data, social entrepreneurship and a new awareness of health are creating a new landscape for suppliers, manufacturers, brands, retailers and investors.
In October, Esca Bona will bring together some of the visionary business leaders making positive innovation happen in food. From seeking Medicare coverage for healthy food to investing in healthier soil, here's how some of these food renegades and their companies are leading the way toward a better food system.
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